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We have the opportunity to listen to a young Austrian pianist who is 29 years old, Ingolf Wunder, on his new album , launched on 4^th July, 2014 by the record label Deutsche Grammophon: the album contains Concert no. 1 by Tchaikovsky and Concert no.1 by Chopin, recorded in 2012 along with the Sankt Petersburg PhilharmonicOrchestra from, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, during the “White Nights” Festival in Sankt Petersburg.

The 2nd prize at the XVI International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition

Ingolf Wunder entered the scene of international stars in 2010 when he won the second prize at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competiton in Warsaw, and also the prize for the best interpretation of a Chopenian concert, the ‘Best Concerto’, and the ‘Best Polonaise-Fantaisie’ prize.

After this success, Ingolf Wunder signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and published a first record called “300”, launched at the beginning of 2013.

And now, this second album signed by Ingolf Wunder, a pianist who shows maturity, a clear masculine conception, when interpreting the second of the most important romantic piano and orchestra concerts in universal literature. The album is also included in the “Vote the best classical music album of 2014” campaign, and I invite you to access  the web-site and vote your favourite albums.

Tcaikovsky…

The Piano Concert No. 1 by Tchaikovsky is a score which fits this type of conception – the fact that Wunder performs with a Russian orchestra is, of course, an advantage. The fact that Tchaikovsky is interpreted by a Russian orchestra has a special quality – the sound is richer, more colourful, and the ethos of the music is wonderfully put forward. Although an Austrian, Wunder matches the conception of the Sankt Petersburg Philharmonic, supported by a conductor who is and appreciated pianist himself.

So, we find ourselves in front of an amazing interpretation of the Piano Concert no. 1 in B-flat minor, Op.23 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with the pianist Ingolf Wunder and the Sankt Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Chopin…

The Piano Concerto no.1, in E minor, Op.11 by Frédéric Chopin is also on Ingolf Wunder’s album – a choice of the repertoire that does not come as a surprise for a pianist who won the second prize in the Piano Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2010. Even so, Chopin is not the specialty of the Russian orchestra, and the relaxed tempi in the 3^rd part do not seem to be a felicitous choice, in contrast with the 1^st part, which I think is more masculine, without romantic effusions. I think the most balanced part is the 2^nd one, which is also emotional because of the writing itself. But these observations are of a subjective kind depending on the critic – I would be glad to be able to listen to interpretations of an unquestionably international calibre, such as these, more often.